The Light in the Darkness
by ItamiAngel-chan
Summary: Iona grew up knowing she had a twin brother out there somewhere, and she'd spent the past ten years training so she could find him. When she finally sets out on her journey, she becomes entangled in the destinies of those meant to save the worlds. Bonds are created and broken, as she searches for the truth of her past, present, and future.
1. Prologue: Poem

**The Light in the Darkness**

_There's a Light in the Darkness,_

_A burning candle flame._

_Its power we must harness,_

_To end this twisted game._

_We two are the factors in the equation—_

_Two halves of the same whole._

_It's our job to prevent the invasion,_

_So step up to accept your role._

_Though companions for only a brief time,_

_I've known you all my life._

_You are my brother, the reason to my rhyme;_

_And I am your sister, your partner in this strife._

_Now let us begin our journey_

_To save the worlds and find our loves._

_Prove yourself worthy_

_And see what you're made of._

_You are my shadow, and I am yours._

_We're ready to go; there's no time to waste._

_So open the doors_

_And let us make haste._

_Even in Darkness, Light will always find a way._


	2. Chapter One: Resemblance

**Chapter One: Resemblance**

"Iona, dear, please be careful on your journey."

"Aww, don't worry, Your Highness! I'll be fine!"

I grinned at Queen Minnie in an attempt to reassure her. In the ten years since she and the King had taken me in, I'd never seen her so worried. Then again, there hadn't been this much trouble in all those years—the King had left on a mission to save the worlds, and both Donald and Goofy had gone after him.

We hadn't heard from any of them since. And now here I was, about to leave this world for the first time since I'd arrived—all in the name of finding my long-lost twin brother.

My brother…

Perhaps the only thing I remembered from before I came to Disney Town. We'd never met, never even known about each other, but my adoptive parents had told me of his existence before they died. So I simply _had _to find him. Both because he was my brother, and to honor the only memory I had of the people who'd adopted me.

_'I wonder what he looks like…if he looks like me or not,' _I thought, glancing at my reflection in my bedroom mirror. Hair the color of the moon, and eyes that seemed blue until I stood by someone with blue eyes—then they looked green. Aqua-green, I'd always called the color. My light hair only made my ivory skin seem paler, which really made my eyes stand out.

_ 'Completely different than anyone I've ever known…if he looks like me, I'll definitely know.'_

"Iona?" I jumped slightly. I'd forgotten that Queen Minnie was still in the room with me.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"I want you to have this. It'll take you to the other worlds—but be warned: when and where you go is not up to you to decide." She placed a star-shaped object in my hands.

"Thank you! But what is it?" Minnie laughed.

"It's a star shard, dear. The King's, to be precise. But don't worry; he'd be fine with you using it." I looked to the Queen, a smile on my face.

"Awesome!" Then I glanced at my half-packed backpack. "I'd better finish packing, then. Before this thing whisks me away…"

"Okay. Good luck, Iona," she replied before exiting the room and leaving me to finish getting ready.

I hurriedly finished packing my backpack—the only things I was taking with me were the ones I'd deemed vital: potions and esunas, of course, as well as my phone, my MP3 player, and Thorne, my dagger.

This last item was perhaps the most important one of all. I'd been training under the King, Donald, and Goofy since my first day in Disney Town—Mickey had insisted that I be able to protect myself. Magick had proven itself to be beyond my capabilities, for the most part; I'd only mastered the most basic of spells.

But swordplay and hand-to-hand combat were a different story. I excelled in both, though I preferred hand-to-hand. So the King had made a fifteenth birthday present to me of Thorne.

I zipped up the bag, then turned to change clothes. _'Hmm…well, there's no use trying to dress nicely. I'll probably be fighting Heartless most of the time. So…dress for comfort.' _

I pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans, black knee-high boots, and a black tank top. A few belts and gloves completed the ensemble. _'A little emo, but it won't show wear and tear so much.'_

I grabbed my pack, slid it on my shoulders, then jammed the star shard in my pocket. A few minutes later found me walking out of the castle and into the streets of town. "Hmm, what should I do? Since I dunno when the star shard'll take me…" I contemplated aloud. Eventually, though, I decided to walk to the ice cream shop and by some sea-salt ice cream. My favorite.

"Hey, Chip. Dale. Where'd Huey, Dewey, and Louie get off to?" I asked the two chipmunks at the shop. Chip- the serious one- shrugged.

"Beats me! They left before we got back. We still don't know where the King, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto are." I sighed softly. So many people were missing from this world. Donald, the head mage; Goofy, the captain of the guard; King Mickey; and even his dog, Pluto. Now the triplets.

"Well, I hope they're safe—wherever they are. In the meantime…you think you guys could get me some sea-salt ice cream?" I put my munny on the counter. Dale laughed.

"Sure! Hold on one second!" He dug around for a few moments before producing a bright blue bar of ice cream from the freezer.

"Thanks, guys!" I said cheerfully, taking the ice cream. At that moment, there was a slight buzzing noise and I looked town to see the star shard in my pocket begin to vibrate and glow. "Uh-oh, looks like it's time for me to leave. You guys let Queen Minnie know I'm gone, 'kay?" I said hurriedly. Chip and Dale nodded.

"You got it!"

"Thanks, gu—!" I never got a chance to finish my sentence, for whatever powered the star shard chose that moment to whisk me away to a new world.

**OoOoOoO**

I was on a beach. The warm, salty sea air and the sound of the ocean were the first things to greet me upon regaining my sense of self. Then I opened my eyes to find myself standing on the shoreline, sea-salt ice cream still in hand. "Huh…I wonder where I am. It seems so familiar…" I said to nothing in particular. "Ah, well." With a shrug, I took a bite of my ice cream and decided to explore this new world.

It turned out the place was a small chain of islands—and I'd ended up on the main island where everyone lived. It also seemed that I'd arrived just as the students were getting out of school; multiple kids my age passed by in their blue-and-white uniforms. One of them, a boy maybe a few years my junior, stopped me.

"Hiya! You lost? I haven't seen you here before." I couldn't help smiling—his grin was infectious.

"Nah, I'm just wandering around. But, yeah, I am new here. The name's Iona. What about you?" His blue eyes lit up.

"I'm Tidus! And I'm gonna be a famous blitzball player one day!"

"Nice to meet ya, Tidus. So…what is this place?" I asked, falling in step with him as we walked down a dirt path.

"This is the Destiny Islands!" he replied with a laugh. Then he spotted another, older boy a ways ahead of us. "Yo! Wakka! C'mere and meet my new friend!" The boy- Wakka- paused and allowed us to catch up with him.

"Heya," he said, "what's up?"

"Hey, this is Iona. Iona, this is my buddy, Wakka," Tidus said cheerily. I smiled.

"Nice to meet you." Wakka was tan, and looked to be very athletic, but he was surprisingly soft-spoken.

"Nice to meet ya, too. Y'know, you remind me of some—" He was cut off by a pair of very feminine screams coming from a path that lead back to the beach. "That sounded like Kairi and Selphie!" Wakka exclaimed. Tidus nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and it sounds like they're in a lot of trouble!" I couldn't resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"Well, then what are you waiting for? Let's go help them!"

We raced down the path and onto the beach, where we were greeted by the sight of two girls being cornered by a mob of Heartless. "Crap!" I growled, grabbing Thorne out of my pack and rushing forward. My two companions snatched sticks off the ground and followed suit.

"What are these things?!" Tidus exclaimed as he whacked on over the head with his stick.

"They're Heartless! Guys, don't let them near your heart! And guard your backs!" I cried, stabbing a Shadow with my dagger.

"Got it!" both boys replied. Then we got down to business, and within a few minutes, we'd managed to dispose of all the Heartless with relatively no trouble. _'Goddess, I hate those things,' _I thought, standing up straight and wiping the sweat from my brow. Then—

"Riku?!"

'_The hell?!' _

I turned towards the source of the voice, only to find myself face-to-face with one of the girls I'd saved. Her red hair was short, and violet eyes wide with shock. Slowly, her expression morphed from one of excitement to one of embarrassment, and her face flushed.

"Oh…I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"Ah, it's all good. The name's Iona, though." The girl nodded, still looking at me intently. I had to admit, there was something eerily familiar about her…but I couldn't place what it was.

"She _does _look like Riku, ya?" Wakka piped up, making me jump. The other girl- a brunette with bright green eyes- nodded.

"Uh-huh, it's kinda scary. No wonder you mistook her for him, Kairi." I furrowed my brow.

"Okay, just _who _is this 'Riku' that I supposedly look so much like?" I finally asked, a little disgruntled. What on earth made me look like him? Unless…

"C'mon," Kairi said softly. "Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, you guys come, too. I'm gonna show Iona who Riku is."

**OoOoOoO**

"So, lemme get this straight: you're from another world?!" Selphie asked, wide-eyed, as we sat in Kairi's living room. I nodded.

"Yep. I live in a world called Disney Town."

"Cool! Do they play blitzall there?"

"Ya, do they?"

I chuckled slightly as both Tidus and Wakka inquired about their favorite sport. Then I shook my head.

"Nope."

"Okay, I found my photo album," Kairi said, walking back into the room, a large scrapbook in hand.

"Wow…" I murmured to myself. Talk about keeping your memories close. She flipped open the book, turning a few pages—until she paused on one.

"Here," the redhead said, pushing the book over for me to see. "This is Riku."

"Thanks, Kai—" I cut myself off midsentence, instead gaping down at the photo. There was no way I could deny the resemblance: we shared the same hair color, the same sarcastic smirk…everything was identical, down to our eye color. Aqua-green. If he'd been a girl, or I a boy, we'd have been clones. But as it was…

"Did I…tell you why I came here?" I finally choked out. The group shook their heads, and there was a chorus of 'no!'s. Slowly, I looked up at them. "Well…I said I was raised in Disney Town. But before that…until I was about six…I lived in a place called Radiant Garden.

"I don't remember anything from my time there—the world was destroyed by Heartless, and my parents died. I was injured then…something that has affected my memory ever since. The only thing I remember from before Mickey saved me was my parents telling me I was adopted…that I have a twin brother. I left Disney Town to find him…" I trailed off, gently stroking the photograph.

All was silent for a moment, then Kairi spoke up.

"Are you trying to say…_Riku_ is your twin?"

"I dunno…I guess I am. I mean, I'm only basing this hunch on the pictures here, and what y'all have said…but I trust my heart in this matter." Then and idea popped into my mind. "Wait. If this is his home world, then I could talk to Riku's parents—" The redhead cut me off, shaking her head sadly.

"No…Riku's parents are dead." Selphie nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, they died in a boating accident."

"It was when we were all really young. Tidus here was too young to even remember," Wakka added. My heart sank.

'_An orphan…no family…growing up alone.'_

"Crap!" Tidus' voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Speaking of parents, I gotta go! It's really late, and they'll kill me if I'm not home before dark!"

"Yeah, we should go," Selphie agreed as she, Tidus, and Wakka gathered their belongings. "Later guys!" And with that, they left, leaving Kairi and I alone.

"So, who's this other boy?" I inquired, pointing to a photo of a boy with spiky brown hair and sapphire-blue eyes.

"That's Sora, Riku's best friend. The three of us have been friends ever since I first came here," the girl replied, blushing slightly.

"Ah! So you have a crush on Sora? And you came here from another world, as well?" Kairi nodded.

"Yes, to both questions. But I don't remember what world I came from. Just that I woke up on the beach one day, to Sora's voice." I nodded pensively, then asked,

"So…if these two are your best friends…where are they?" Kairi sighed.

"That's a long story. But I'll explain it as best I can…"

"It all started when we built our raft. Sora, Riku, and I…we were gonna set sail, leave this world and explore the others. Then the Heartless attacked the night before our departure. I lost my heart…so the rest of this is based on what I was told.

"I lost my heart, and the boys were whisked away to other worlds. Sora ended up meeting Donald and Goofy- you know them- and they traveled together to find Riku and I. But Riku, he was found by the evil witch, Maleficent. She convinced him that Sora had replaced us, didn't care about us.

"He began to learn to wield Darkness, along with another kid our age—a girl he'd saved. They fought with Sora when their paths crossed, up until they arrived in Hollow Bastion. Then the girl, Iva was her name, saw how wrong everything was and joined Sora.

"They found Riku, whose body had been taken over by Ansem. Then…Sora found out he had my heart. So he unlocked his, so that I could have mine back…"

She trailed off momentarily, looking down. All I could do was stare at the redhead in a stupefied silence. Finally, she composed herself and finished her tale. "Sora disappeared when I woke up. But I found his Heartless and, somehow, brought him back.

"Then he beat Ansem…and had to shut the door to the Realm of Darkness. Riku…he and King Mickey were behind the door. But they promised they'd find a way out. I don't know what happened to Iva after that, only that the worlds returned to normal, and I came back here. Sora's promised he'd be back once he found Riku and the King."

Silence enveloped us once she concluded her story. _'It all makes sense now…why Donald, Goofy, and the King haven't returned. The King…could he know that Riku's my brother?'_

I stood, glancing out the window. It was starting to get dark—dusk, my favorite time of day. I looked back at Kairi.

"I want to go after them…to find Sora and help him rescue the King and my brother." Her violet eyes lit up with surprise.

"You'll go? And you've decided to believe that Riku's your twin?"

"Yes to both," I replied with a nod. "I just can't get past how much we look alike. Honestly…it's his eye color that made me believe. Aqua-green…I've never seen the color anywhere else. So, where do I need to go?"

Kairi was silent for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought. Then a grin lit her features.

"Our island! It's where everything started…so it's the best place to look. You can borrow my boat. I can't go there…not yet." I smiled.

"Thanks, Kairi. And I'll tell them you're still waiting, once I find them." She nodded, standing up.

"Thank you…for going to find them. I…I want you to have this." Here, the girl pulled the photograph of Riku out of its sleeve and handed it to me. "So you know what he looks like…though you could just look in a mirror."

We laughed, then I followed Kairi out of her house and onto the dock where her small boat was tethered.

"Good luck," the redhead said softly.

"Thanks," I climbed into the boat and set my bag down. Just as I was about to leave, Kairi called,

"Iona! If you find that girl…Iva…thank her for me! Thank her for helping my friends!"

"I will!" I yelled back. Then I grabbed the oars and rowed my way to the island.

The island was completely deserted. _'Granted…that's probably because the kids are in school. I'm sure the place is packed during the summer.' _Despite the creepy aura gave off due to the lack of life, I had to marvel at the huge clubhouse that the place had become. Many of the island's children could probably live there during vacation.

'_Hm, where should I go?'_ I thought as I wandered up and down the sidewalks, ladders, and bridge. Then I noticed a small cave near the waterfall. "Huh…a cave?" I murmured aloud. That definitely merited an investigation.

Upon entering the small cavern, the first thing I noticed was a set of chalk drawings that looked to have been done by young children. _'Hm, maybe it was Sora and Kairi.' _As I walked further in, the drawings disappeared, until the only out-of-place thing was a door on the wall opposite of me.

"How…did a _door _get here?!" I exclaimed aloud. Eventually, curiosity got the better of me, and I made my way over to examine it. The mahogany wood was smooth and cool beneath my fingertips, and the wood grain was clearly defined. _'Wonder if it's unlocked…' _I thought, twisting the door knob.

That was when I heard the hissing that could only mean one thing—Heartless. I whirled around, only to find myself surrounded by a hoard of Heartless greater than any I'd fought before. _'Damn!' _I thought harshly. _'There's way too many; I don't stand a chance. But I __**refuse **__to go down without a fight!'_

As I charged forward, the creatures surrounded and attacked me, as well. In all honesty, I lasted for only a few minutes before they overpowered me. There was a sharp pain in my back, then another- greater- pain in my chest. My knees hit the ground and my vision began to fade rapidly.

'_Riku…my brother,' _I thought weakly. Then all was dark.

**OoOoOoO**

Pain.

Burning and intense, it was all I knew as I floated in an endless sea of black. Parts of my being slipped away, abandoning me to the strong current of the invisible ocean. Memory after memory floated by me, some I'd rather forget, but others I treasured.

Mickey giving me Thorne…

…growing up in Disney Town…

…meeting Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie…

…Kairi and her scrapbook full of photos.

Photos of…

Riku.

My brother.

That single thought became a sort of anchor, a reason…no, a _need _to keep fighting. To will myself out of the sea. Another wave of pain, this one greater than all the others before, washed over me, numbing me.

Then my eyes snapped open.


	3. Chapter Two: I'm Nobody, Who Are You?

**Chapter Two: I'm Nobody, Who Are You?**

I was lying on the ground, that I was sure of. But beyond that, I was clueless. Everything about me seemed…jumbled…blurry. From my ability to form a coherent thought to the strange sense of numbness that enveloped my entire body.

Somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind, I noted that I was no longer in the cave on the Destiny Islands. No, I was on an entirely different world, it seemed. One where the sky was pitch-black and no stars shone.

I attempted to sit up, but found that I had no control over my limbs— almost as if the numbness was paralyzing me. Or maybe I was simply too weak to move. My eyes slowly closed, giving in to the urge to sleep. Then—

"Where did you come from? Who are you?"

With some difficulty, I re-opened my eyes, only to find a man staring back down at me.

He was…unusual. His eyes were an odd shade of amber-yellow, which contrasted sharply with his long, slightly spiky blue hair. An 'x' shaped scar marred his face slightly, but was worsened by the disgruntled expression on his face.

"Well, are you going to answer my question?" he asked once more.

I could only blink in response. He knelt beside me, picking up my wrist and feeling my pulse.

"Ah, I see," he murmured before saying 'Cure'. The familiar warmth that accompanied the healing spell washed over me, returning the ability to move to my fingers.

"Hm, you can move a little more…still can't move enough, though." His brow furrowed, and the intensity of his disgruntled expression worsened. Almost under his breath, he muttered "Guess I'll have to carry you."

Next thing I knew, the blue-haired man had scooped me up and started walking. From this higher vantage point, I was somewhat able to get an idea of my environment. I was in some kind of city with dark buildings.

Actually…everything was dark. From the sky to the ground. The only object that broke this monochromality was a large, white castle that loomed in front of us.

And we were headed straight for it.

As the blunette carried me, I noticed I was starting to regain more and more feeling in my legs. With some strain, I managed to stretch out my legs, much to the blue-haired man's surprise. He stopped in his tracks.

"Hm, regained the feeling in your legs, have we? Perhaps you'll be able to walk, then." He sat me on my feet, then let go. The world seemed to spin around me, and I stumbled. He grabbed my arm before I hit the ground in an effort to steady me.

"…Or maybe not," he added, the slightest hint of a smirk gracing his lips in amusement.

I could only blink in response as I stared up at him. It was amazing how even just the slightest smile could change how a person looked so much. The man sighed and looped one of his arms around my waist. "Come. We need to get to the castle."

Slowly, we made our way towards the huge, white castle. The closer we got, the easier it became to walk. Finally, I was able to walk easily, with no help. The blunette noticed this and quickly released his hold on me.

I looked up to him, opening my mouth to speak. At first, no words came out; but then, I managed to croak out a single word.

"Who—?"

Ugh. My voice sounded horrible, foreign even to myself. However, the man stopped to look at me, surprise evident in his amber eyes.

"You're starting to find your voice," he noted, almost to himself. Then he spoke to me. "Very well. To answer your question, my name is Saïx. Now, can you tell me _your_ name?"

I furrowed my brow. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get out an entire sentence; one word had been hard enough. Slowly, I spoke my name, straining to get each syllable out.

"I—ona…"

To my great surprise, the man- Saïx's- eyebrows shot up as he looked at me in a state of total shock.

"Iona…" he murmured, reaching out and tilting my chin up so he could look into my eyes. "If not for the eyes, I wouldn't believe it." He said the words so quietly, I had to strain to hear them.

Then the change in his demeanor was gone and Saïx wore the mask of composure once again. He turned away from me and continued on his way towards the castle. I followed after him with a sigh.

'_What was that all about? What a strange man…'_

We finally made our way to the castle. I couldn't help but gape at it—the place was _huge. _Then I hurried after Saïx, who'd continued up the stairs even when I stopped.

Once inside, I found myself standing in a large, spacious room. The grey-and-white color scheme of the castle's exterior was continued inside.

'_Yeesh, whoever lives here needs to invest in a home decorator.'_

"Iona."

Saïx's voice echoed through the room, making me jump violently. The blunette stood on a staircase, a slight frown upon his face. "This way," he said. "It's time for you to meet the Superior."

'_Superior?'_

With yet another sigh, I followed him up the staircase and through several long hallways. The castle was truly dismal; though neat and clean, the lack of color (and life, for that matter) bored me to the point of counting how many windows I passed. I was almost to my thousandth window, when suddenly—

"Oh, gods! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! _I didn't mean it!_"

A boy came sprinting down the hallway, followed by an elder man—who was pursuing him with a look of pure loathing in his green eyes. Before I had a chance to react, the boy plowed straight into me.

We toppled to the ground and all the air was forced from my lungs. The boy groaned, then gingerly propped himself up on his elbows.

"Ugh, sorry about that." He stood, pulling me to my feet as well. I studied his appearance with interest. The boy had fluffy blond hair, styled in some sort of mullet, lovely seafoam-green eyes, and a goofy grin on his face.

"Hiya," he said cheerily, "the name's Demyx. And you are—?"

"Demyx, you imbecile," interrupted the elder, also blond, man before I could even begin to answer. "You need to answer for what you did!"

"And just _what _did Demyx do, Vexen?" Saïx asked wearily, while Demyx hid behind me in an attempt to avoid Vexen's glower.

"That _dolt _ruined my experiment! All because of some Shadow Heartless he decided to name _Chester_!"

Demyx pouted, his eyes going wide with innocence. "But I can't find him! He's lost!"

"Demyx," interjected Saïx, a scowl on his face. "Now is _not _the time for this foolishness."

"But—"

"No buts. You'll help Vexen clean up the mess you made while I take Iona to the Superior."

"Oh, so your name's Iona? Well, see ya later~!" Demyx said with a wink, before following Vexen back into what I presumed was the lab. This left Saïx and I alone once more.

The blunette heaved a sigh and turned away from me, heading towards the end of the hallway.

"Come, we've almost reached the Superior's office."

We walked for a few more minutes before finally coming to a standstill in front of- who would've guessed it- a plain, white door.

'_Again with the white.'_ I thought dryly. Saïx knocked on the door, then pushed it open and ushered me inside.

The room was very sparse, save for a large desk in its center. A silver-haired man sat at the desk. He looked up when Saïx shut the door, then rested his gaze on me. His amber eyes were curious, yet also calculating, and he looked at me with intrigue.

"Saïx, who is this?" His voice was deep and his tone serious, as if he found very little time to be light-hearted.

"Her name is Iona, sir. She's a newly-formed Nobody."

'_A 'Nobody'?'_

"Hm, interesting," the silvernette murmured. Then his eyes met mine once more. "Iona…my name is Xemnas. I am the leader of Organization XIII."

'_Organization XIII? What the heck is that? Some kind of secret club? And what the hell do they mean, a 'newly-formed Nobody'?'_

I frowned, confused by this man's- Xemnas'- words. He rose from the desk, and I took a step closer to Saïx—Xemnas was quite tall, a fact I found quite intimidating. A slight smile crossed the silvernette's lips.

"You have no need to be intimidated by me, Iona," he said gently. "I realize that you're still very disoriented—but don't worry. I'll help you sort things out."

"W-What— h-happened?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"I'll explain everything," he told me. Then he glanced back at Saïx. "Saïx, go prepare a room for her. The newest member of our little…family…should be made welcome."

"Yes, sir," the blunette replied curtly. The he spun on his heel and left, shutting the door behind him. I turned back to Xemnas.

"E-Explain…please," I implored.

"Of course, but first…if you'd be so kind as to follow me." Here Xemnas held out his hand, and a swirling blue-purple-and-black portal appeared before us. He walked through it and- after a moment's hesitation- I followed him through.

It was an odd sensation, walking through the portal. One second I was in Xemnas' office, the next I was in a tunnel of pure darkness. If I glanced out the corner of my eye, I could see Heartless creeping alongside me. But- to my surprise- they made no attempt to attack.

Then I was standing on the shore of the most bizarre beach I'd ever seen. The sky was black, save for a single light on the horizon, which bathed the beach in an unearthly glow. The waters were a deep purple—or maybe they, too, were black. I honestly couldn't tell.

Almost as soon as I stepped onto the shore, my memory seemed to clear. The thoughts in my head seemed to aline, and I found myself thinking clearly for the first time since I'd awoken. I looked up at Xemnas, eyes wide with surprise. He chuckled slightly before speaking.

"Your memories have cleared, am I correct?"

I nodded slightly. "Good," he said, "what can you tell me that you remember from before?"

"Well," I began, noting in the back of my mind that I'd regained my ability to speak. "I remember just about everything. Nothing from before my sixth birthday, of course, but that's always been that way. I remember…going to search for my twin brother."

"Oh? A brother?" Xemnas' eyes lit up with curiosity.

"I've never met him, don't know who he is," I replied nonchalantly, though I was fully aware of how blatant this lie was, and of the photograph still in my pocket. "I was going to find him…before. What…happened to me?"

Xemnas sighed, brushing a strand of hair away from his face. I couldn't help but notice how his tan skin made his amber eyes stand out, made them seem even more piercing than they were to begin with.

"When you were attacked by Heartless…one stole your heart."

"My heart?!" I sputtered, reaching up and pressing my fingers to my neck, searching despearately for a pulse.

Nothing.

I had no heartbeat.

"You lost your heart, Iona," continued the silvernette, "but you were strong. Rather than simply fading away…your body and soul persisted. You became a Nobody."

"A Nobody?" I questioned. He nodded.

"Yes, a Nobody. Just like everyone else in Organization XIII. You see, we are all missing our hearts, all incomplete. That in itself is our goal: to destroy Heartless and collect hearts, so that we may complete Kingdom Hearts and become whole once more."

I sighed, then looked to the light on the horizon. I still wanted to find Riku more than anything. But I didn't know how not having a heart would affect me…

"I want to help."

I looked Xemnas in the eyes, a determined expression on my face. After a moment, he nodded slightly.

"Very well. You will become the fifteenth member of our family…of Organization XIII. But you will need a new name, as you are no longer 'Iona'."

He held out his hand, and the letters _I, O, N, _and _A _appeared. They began to spin around me faster and faster, until an _X _appeared as well and they finally slowed. When they finally stopped moving, a new word shone in front of me in a golden light.

"Axion," I whispered.

"The new you," agreed Xemnas. "From now on, you will be known as 'Axion', Number XV of Organization XIII. Tomorrow, you will officially join our ranks. But for tonight…you need to rest."

The silvernette held out his hand, making a portal appear once more. We walked though, only to find Saïx waiting for us.

"I've prepared a room, sir," the blunette said.

"Very good. Take Axion to her room. She will join us tomorrow to be properly…acquainted with everyone."

Saïx and I left the office, walking down the hallways we'd come up earlier. I trailed behind the blue-haired man, eyeing him curiously. He looked _familiar _somehow; like I'd seen him before, but couldn't place the when, where, and why.

"Saïx?"

He turned to look at me, a rather bored expression on his face. "Yes?"

"Did we ever meet? You seem so familiar, but I just don't know why." The blunette stared at me for a moment before answering.

"Perhaps…but I do not know for sure. Now come, you need to get some rest." I frowned; his reply hadn't answered my question in the least. But that was probably the most I was going to get from this strange man…for now. So I gave in and followed him through the castle.

When we finally stopped, it was in front of a door with a blank brass plaque on the front. Saïx waved his hand across it, and when he pulled away, I saw that the name 'Axion' was not etched into it.

Axion…

My name, yet not my name.

"This will be your room from here on," said the blunette dryly. He pushed open the door and we walked inside.

The room was small, with only enough space for a small bed, a desk, and a dresser. Of course, the white-and-grey color scheme was carried over in here, just as it was everywhere else.

'_That's it,' _I thought. _'I'm re-decorating this room. It's mine, after all.' _I turned back to Saïx.

"Thank you, Saïx." He started slightly, before nodding.

"You are welcome, Iona," he replied quietly. My eyes widened slightly. He'd called me…

"You called me 'Iona' instead of 'Axion.' Why? Xemnas- er, that is, the Superior- changed my name. Granted, I still like 'Iona' better…"

"Iona," the blue-haired man interrupted. "You are a terrible Nobody."

"Excuse me?!"

"Nobodies aren't supposed to feel emotion. We lack hearts to feel with, after all. But you…you've kept acting as if you were whole, like you _can_ feel, from the moment you awoke."

I could only stare at him. How could he expect me to act any way other than how I always had? Besides, I didn't- no pun intended- _feel _any different, other than my lack of a pulse.

With an irked sigh, I turned away from Saïx to glance in the mirror hanging on the wall…

…and promptly let out a shriek of horror.

"My h-hair," I whispered. "What the hell happened?!"

The once silver locks had changed to a warm chestnut brown. Only one streak of silver in my bangs remained to remind me of the original color.

'_How will I ever prove to Riku that we're siblings if we don't look alike?' _I thought, trembling slightly. Then a hand on my shoulder made me jump, and I glanced up at Saïx.

"When a person loses their heart, but is strong enough to become a Nobody, sometimes our appearances become slightly…altered," he told me, almost gently. If he hadn't just told me about the whole 'Nobodies-can't-feel-emotion' thing, I would've sworn he actually cared.

"Like your eyes?" I blurted out suddenly, before I had a chance to think about my words.

"What?!"

My face grew warm. Why did I have to open my big mouth in the first place? In all actuality, the more I looked at him, the more I felt that I _did _know Saïx from somewhere. Except his eyes weren't amber, they were…

"Green. Your eyes were green before you lost your heart. Am I correct?"

"How…?" Saïx started to speak, but trailed off. Instead, he shook his head, the ghost of a smirk on his lips. "You are strange, Iona. Perhaps one of the strangest Nobodies I've ever met. And I've met Demyx, so that's saying something." He turned to leave the room.

"Saïx, wait!" He glanced back at me.

"What?"

"You never answered my question. Well…you never really answered any of them, but I mean the first one. Why do you keep calling me 'Iona'?"

"Perhaps…I just prefer that name. Goodnight, Iona." With that, he left, shutting the door behind him.

"What a strange man…" I muttered aloud, before flopping down onto the bed. Suddenly, I was insanely sleepy; all of the day's events had finally caught up to me—I'd left Disney Town, met Kairi and discovered the identity of my brother, then lost my heart and died.

But, somehow, the desire to find Riku had helped me hang on, and I survived only to awaken as a Nobody and become the newest member of Organization XIII.

'_Talk about a busy day,' _I thought sleepily. I sighed and turned the lamp beside my bed out. Within minutes, I'd fallen into a deep slumber.

If only I didn't dream so much.


End file.
